Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential for Family Hubs to act as neighbourhood anchors bringing together childcare, parenting support, early years education and wider community services.

The government is determined to remove barriers to opportunity and raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies are central to that ambition, bringing together childcare, health, parenting support and early years services in one place.

The Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies programme guidance makes clear that Hubs should act as neighbourhood anchors, supporting families through a connected local network of parenting support, early years education, health and wider community services. We are investing over £900 million in Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies to create up to 1,000 hubs and 2,000 network sites across England by the end of 2028.

The Hubs will connect families to wider services including housing and cost-of-living support across the 0 to 19 age range (25 for children with special educational needs and disabilities). Network sites will extend into places families already use, including early years settings, schools, libraries and community venues, helping families access support close to home.